God's Message For You Today

[kerstinne25]

JUNE 28, 2207
THURSDAY



STILL LISTENING

“...anyone who hears these words of mine and acts accordingly is like a wise man.” – Matthew 7:24
One of my favorite Christian bands, Third Day, sang a song called “Still Listening.” My favorite line in the song is “I thought I heard you shout, but then I figured out that all along You’re whispering to me... and I’m still listening.”
The song is about looking for God all over the place and not finding Him, until you listen to the quiet whisper in your heart to hear His voice. I like the picture that this paints — that God chooses to whisper more than to shout. Because I’m a loud person, I’m used to loud voices. I keep envisioning God as the God portrayed on TV — a big voice thundering from heaven, the kind that would make your knees tremble and cause you to obey at once. Imagining Him whispering is hard! God, can’t you just shout it out?
Maybe God chooses to whisper because He knows it would be hard to compete with all the loud things I’ve surrounded myself with. Maybe He knows that I need a lesson on listening. And maybe He knows that if He whispers to my heart, it would be the voice I would be obeying. Tina M.

REFLECTION
Let us learn to be silent enough to hear God’s whisper.

Today I will be quiet, just listening for Your whisper.

*****************



1st READING

Genesis 16:1-12, 15-16

Ishmael is the human solution to the problem of a lack of children for Abraham. As we will see, it is not God’s solution. Again and again in the Old Testament we will see God intervene in the lives of His people to bring about miraculous solutions to the problem of the lack of progeny. God is all-powerful and we should never doubt His power. We should also be willing to entrust ourselves totally to His promises.

1 Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children. She had, however, an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. 2 Sarai said to Abram: “The LORD has kept me from bearing children. Have intercourse, then, with my maid; perhaps I shall have sons through her.” Abram heeded Sarai’s request. 3 Thus, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, his wife Sarai took her maid, Hagar the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his concubine. 4 He had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant. When she became aware of her pregnancy, she looked on her mistress with disdain. 5 So Sarai said to Abram: “You are responsible for this outrage against me. I myself gave my maid to your embrace; but ever since she became aware of her pregnancy, she has been looking on me with disdain. May the LORD decide between you and me!” 6 Abram told Sarai: “Your maid is in your power. Do to her whatever you please.” Sarai then abused her so much that Hagar ran away from her. 7 The LORD’S messenger found her by a spring in the wilderness, the spring on the road to Shur, 8 and he asked, “Hagar maid of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She answered, “I am running away from my mistress, Sarai.” 9 But the LORD’S messenger told her: “Go back to your mistress and submit to her abusive treatment. 10 I will make your descendants so numerous,” added the LORD’S messenger, “that they will be too many to count. 11 Besides,” the LORD’S messenger said to her: “You are now pregnant and shall bear a son; you shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard you, God has answered you. 12 He shall be a wild ass of a man, his hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; in opposition to all his kin shall he encamp.” 15 Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram named the son whom Hagar bore him Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

P S A L M

Psalm 106:1-2, 3-4, 4-5

R: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. 2 Who can tell the mighty deeds of the LORD, or proclaim all his praises? (R) 3 Blessed are they who observe what is right, who do always what is just. 4 Remember me, O LORD, as you favor your people. (R) Visit me with your saving help, 5 that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, rejoice in the joy of your people, and glory with your inheritance. (R)

G O S P E L

Matthew 7:21-29

The only foundation for our lives that will endure the test of time is faith. Faith in God is the only way we will ward off the attacks of the enemy and grow in our love of God and our fellow human beings. The Scriptures are abundantly clear on this point. We can choose to “go it alone” if we want to, but this is as good as choosing to commit suicide as regards our salvation. It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that we will be saved. None of us has the power or means to save ourselves.

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the Will of my Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ 23 Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’ 24 Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. 26 And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.” 28 When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

my reflections
think: None of us has the power or means to save ourselves.

________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________


God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Wisdom 11-13

******************



LIFE LIVED FULLY IS GOD’S GLORY

“Gloria Dei vivens homo” – have you ever come across this expression? Literally translated in English, it is “The glory of God is man living,” but the same statement is more commonly rendered as “The glory of God is man fully alive.” These words came from a treatise against heresies written by St. Irenaeus whose blessed memory we celebrate today. The exact excerpt from the treatise reads: “Life in man is the glory of God, the life of man is the vision of God.”
Irenaeus was born around the year 130 and was educated in Smyrna where he became a disciple of the bishop of that city, St. Polycarp. In 177, at Lyons, France, he was ordained a priest and later on became bishop of the same diocese. Vigorously, he fought Gnosticism, the heresy of his time. Around the year 200, Irenaeus was martyred.
Aside from his defense of the Faith against the Gnostics, what is unusually important about St. Irenaeus? A lot.
Before Irenaeus, Christianity was more of a fluid movement rather than the form of Catholicism we know today. Every Christian community seemed to have its own theology prior to the emergence of Christianity as a universal religion.
There was no canon of sacred books. Many preachers wandered around. Irenaeus stressed on apostolic authority which means historical link with the Apostles; a creed which is a set of core beliefs; and a canon of Scripture. Apostolicity, creed, and canon of Scripture eventually became the defining marks of early Catholicism.
Irenaeus lived his life fully for God. He is indeed God’s glory. Fr. Bobby T.

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do I live my life fully for God?

God, my Creator and Father, thank You for giving me life. In gratitude to Your infinite kindness and love for me, I offer You my whole life. With the help of Your grace, may I live my life always to the fullest. With Jesus living in me, may I give glory to You now and always. Amen.

St. Irenaeus, bishop martyr, pray for us.

 

[kerstinne25]

JULY 3, 2007
TUESDAY

Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle

JESUS VISITS OUR HOME

So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” – John 20:25

Jesus visited our home for my mom’s birthday last year. We invited our parish priest, Fr. Leo Acierto, to celebrate Mass in the house because my mom was sick and could no longer go to church.
It was touching just to see us gathered around the sala —just the priest, his assistant, Dad, Mom, my sister, her three-year-old son and me. We were seated comfortably on the sofas and celebrated Mass that way. No standing. No kneeling. Just lounging in our living room as if the family had gathered to chat and hang out.
I had a guitar and led the small congregation in singing. Somewhere during the Mass, I couldn’t help but get misty-eyed. And when Fr. Leo raised the host and proclaimed, “This is my body which shall be given up for you,” I realized that the Lord had physically come into our home.
It’s not always that we have that privilege. But we can see and even partake of the Lord daily through the sacrament of the Eucharist. Don’t miss your chance to see the Lord today. Though He may not physically visit your home, His presence in you will be more than enough to carry you wherever you go throughout the day. Rissa S.

REFLECTION:
Do I recognize the Lord’s presence in the Eucharist?

Thank You, Lord, for giving Yourself to us in communion. Let me not take You for granted whenever I receive Your body and Your blood.

***********************************

1st READING

Ephesians 2:19-22

We may still be living in the world but through conversion and the decision to become a disciple of Jesus, we are also citizens of another world, namely the Kingdom of God. Here we are reunited with God and find ourselves in a relationship with our maker that is moving towards the ultimate fulfillment of our being when we will be united with Him in eternal life. There is still a journey to walk before this happens, but we are well on the way now. Let us pray that we will persevere through all things to our ultimate destiny of glory with the Lord our God.

19 You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. 21 Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; 22 in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

P S A L M

Psalm 117:1, 2

R: Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

1 Praise the LORD, all you nations; glorify him, all you peoples! (R) 2 For steadfast is his kindness for us, and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever. (R)

G O S P E L

John 20:24-29

Thomas is the much maligned apostle of little faith. I think history has been a bit harsh in its judgment of Thomas. I like to think I would have believed on the word of the other disciples but I suspect I would have answered similarly to Thomas. What really matters is not his initial unbelief but his ultimate belief and commitment to God that then leads him to become the Apostle to India and, according to some reports, even China.

24 Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

my reflections
think: Let us pray that we will persevere through all things to our ultimate destiny of glory with the Lord our God.

________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Sirach 10-13

***********************************

Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle

A MAN OF DOUBT, AND YET A MAN OF FAITH

Today we honor St. Thomas the Apostle. Rather unfortunately, this saint has ever since been the “target” of negative views, because of his wellknown incredulity and skepticism. His name has even entered the English vocabulary (“doubting Thomas”) designating an incredulous or habitually doubtful person. In Thomas was a blend of hard-headed rationalism and sulking pessimism.
And yet, “doubt isn’t the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith” (Paul Tillich). Come to think of it, perhaps St. Thomas has done more to strengthen our faith than the others. In the first place, we identify with him to some extent. In the words of the Scripture scholar Fr. Nil Guillemette: “There is a Thomas in each one of us, if only we will admit it... Thomas’ example is most opportune, for I recognize myself in him.”
Faith, after all, always entails a risk, for it does not impose itself through experience or reasoning. Guillemette continues, “Difficult for Thomas, it is difficult for all of us; it teaches the unlikely; it also presupposes a constant going beyond oneself, for it is a growth and a progress toward Someone who will always be a stranger, who will always be surprising.”
And so, let us not be too harsh on St. Thomas. It was he, in fact, who courageously exhorted his fellow disciples (at a moment when the prospects of a sure death together with Jesus were high and clear). “Let us also go to die with him” (John 11:16). It turns out that these words of his were prophetic, with his eventual ministry and martyrdom in far-flung India. And it was he (according to Fr. Jerome Aixala) who formulated the most complete affirmation of Christ’s nature to be found on the lips of anyone in the Gospel: “My Lord and my God!” Fr. Martin M.

REFLECTION QUESTION: We can be like Thomas in doubt. Can we be like him in faith?

Lord, help our unbelief.

 

[kerstinne25]

JULY 4, 2007
WEDNESDAY

RUN TO GOD

“And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.” – Matthew 8:34

I give regular talks to young professionals in Makati. One time, as part of my presentation, I asked if anyone might have questions. A young man raised his hand, stood up and asked, rather intensely, “Is it all right to be angry with God?”
I’d been serving Jesus for 23 years, and finished my Masters in Theology with flying colors. I’d been a church leader for more than half my life. All these achievements came to my mind would help me answer him. So, I looked into his eyes, smiled a bit and confidently told the group, “Ok, let’s have our closing prayer, please.”
I did not know what to say! And in times like this, I’m sure of one thing only — prayer. So I prayed silently.
When I was granted an answer, I looked at this young man again, and said, “Bro, I cannot say that you are wrong for being angry with God. I do not know what you’ve been through. I only have one answer — if you are mad at Him, go to Him still. When you talk to Him, bring with you your remorse for He will always understand... because He is your God.”
If you happen to be angry with God now, don’t run away from Him. Go to Him. Go to your God. He is waiting for you. Arun G.

REFLECTION:
Have you been hurt in life? Where do you run to? Run to your God!

Lord, when I am hurting, I will run to You.

*********************

1st READING

Even though Ishmael is a child born not according to the will of God, God
does not abandon him. He promises Hagar that Ishmael will prosper and become
a great nation as well. God is never stingy with His grace; we can never accuse
Him of abandoning us to our fate. The gift of Jesus as our Savior will forever
stand as a testament of God’s willingness and ability to care for us all.

G O S P E L

The demons are totally aware of the identity of Jesus and that they have
no choice but to obey whatever He commands them. We should pray we will have
the same certainty of faith in the power of Jesus to work miracles in our lives.
It is only then that we will see the extent to which God wants to work in our
lives. Let us invite Him in so that His grace will abound in our lives and draw
us into a deeper relationship with Him where His grace will abound even more.

****************

THE “PAGAN TERRITORIES” OF OUR LIVES

Today’s Gospel episode is surely a dramatic one, worthy perhaps of a being made into a horror movie replete with computer-generated special effects. And yet, for all the gripping suspense and drama, the narrative ends on a somewhat “strange” note: when word spread about what happened (particularly regarding the herd of swine), the entire town came out to meet Jesus, only to beg Him to leave their neighborhood.
Why was it so? In the first place, this particular miracle of demonic expulsion took place in pagan territory. Biblical geography indicates that Gadara, to the east of the Lake of Galilee, was an area occupied by pagans. The herd of pigs moreover confirms this fact, since pigs were considered as repulsive animals to Israelites.
Applying it now to our lives, we ask: Is it possible that there are still certain “areas” of our lives that are “pagan territory,” in which we would rather not have Jesus “meddling”? Perhaps He intends to purify and liberate us from the demons of our sinful habits, but we still prefer to “bargain” with Him. Or again, He wants to purge us from our penchant for New Age or neo-pagan beliefs and practices (horoscopes, feng shui, tarot cards, and whatnot), but we still do not want to let go of them.
How then can we call ourselves genuine Catholics, if we are given to such compromises? For such an authenticity in our Faith, surely there is no need for cinematic special effects, right? We just have to welcome Christ into our lives and testify to Him authentically in all that we do. Fr. Martin M.

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you know what you still haven’t submitted to God?

Examine, me, Lord, for my “pagan territories” and conquer them.

St. Bertha, widow and abbess, pray for us.

 

[kerstinne25]

JULY 5, 2007
THURSDAY

WHO’S YOUR ISAAC?

“When they came to the place... he tied up his son Isaac...” – Genesis 22:9

Early in the Bible, we are given a story such as this.
It’s the story of a man to whom was promised a multitude of descendants, so many that they will be like the sands of the seashore and the stars in the heavens. All this in spite of the fact that he and his wife are past childbearing age.
The promise is fulfilled with the birth of a son. But then the Lord asks him to offer the boy as a holocaust!
What a twist, eh?
And we know what he did, right?
“Early the next morning, Abraham saddled his donkey, took with him his son Isaac... ”
He went “early the next morning.” No dillydallying regarding what the Lord commanded.
It was then that Isaac asked, “Father, here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the holocaust?”
“Son, God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust,” replied Abraham.
Then they continued going forward.
What courage it took Abraham to take every step! What faith!
“Next he tied up his son Isaac, and put him on top of the wood on the altar.”
Then God intervened. Lallaine G.

REFLECTION:
If you were Abraham, who or what would your “Isaac” be? Let the Lord speak to your heart.

Lord, teach me about the sacrifice of Abraham. How boldly he went to follow You! May I do the same today.

************************************

1st READING

Genesis 22:1-19

This is a scandalous sort of a story from one point of view namely: How can God be good if He asks His beloved servant Abraham to offer Isaac, his son, as a sacrifice to Him? It is quite clear at the end that God was not going to let Abraham go through with the sacrifice but at the beginning it seems horrific. However, what about God’s own offering of Jesus for our salvation? From this retrospective point of view, the story takes on a whole new dynamic, which ultimately affirms that the depth of God’s commitment to us is way beyond the depth of commitment that He asks of us.

1 God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, “Abraham!” “Ready!” he replied. 2 Then God said: “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you.” 3 Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey, took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well, and with the wood that he had cut for the holocaust, set out for the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar. 5 Then he said to his servants: “Both of you stay here with the donkey, while the boy and I go on over yonder. We will worship and then come back to you.” 6 Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the holocaust and laid it on his son Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. 7 As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham. “Father!” he said. “Yes, son,” he replied. Isaac continued, “Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the holocaust?” 8 “Son,” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust.” Then the two continued going forward. 9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac, and put him on top of the wood on the altar. 10 Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 12 “Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger. “Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.” 13 As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son. 14 Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh; hence people now say, “On the mountain the LORD will see.” 15 Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven 16 and said: “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, 17 I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, 18 and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing — all this because you obeyed my command.” 19 Abraham then returned to his servants, and they set out together for Beer-sheba, where Abraham made his home.

P S A L M

Psalm 115: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R: I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.

1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name give glory because of your kindness, because of your truth. 2 Why should the pagans say, “Where is their God?” (R) 3 Our God is in heaven; whatever he wills, he does. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the handiwork of men. (R) 5 They have mouths but speak not; they have eyes but see not; 6 they have ears but hear not; they have noses but smell not. (R) 8 Their makers shall be like them, everyone that trusts in them. 9 The house of Israel trusts in the LORD; he is their help and their shield. (R)

G O S P E L

Matthew 9:1-8

Jesus unequivocally demonstrates that He has absolute authority in this situation even to the point of being able to forgive a person’s sins. There is no argument and only awe among the people gathered at this demonstration of power. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God offers us this same power of the forgiveness of sins. It is so sad that so few people avail themselves of the sacrament as it ministers the grace of forgiveness to those who use it.

1 He entered a boat, made the crossing, and came into his own town. 2 And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” 3 At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts? 5 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — he then said to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” 7 He rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to human beings.

my reflections
think: How easily can you forgive?
________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________


God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Sirach 19-22

GETTING TO KNOW THE SAINTS



Saint Elizabeth of Portugal

Saint Elizabeth, daughter of King Pedro III of Aragon and Constancia, was born in 1271. Since childhood, the princess exuded a life of piety, strict regularity and self-denial. She fasted, did penance and gave up amusement. At a young age of 12, Elizabeth was married to King Diniz of Portugal. The king was noted for being a good poet and a hard worker.

Unfortunately, his morals were extremely bad. For years, the queen tried to win her husband s affection through her gentleness and extraordinary forbearance. But it was only later in life when the king had a change in heart. Saint Elizabeth bore King Diniz two children, Constantia and Affonso. Affonso rebelled over the favors the king showed his illegitimate sons. Thus, in 1323 the son declared a war against his father. Elizabeth opposed the decision. She rode in between the two armies and made father and son reconcile. Two years later, King Diniz died.

Saint Elizabeth left the kingdom in the care of Affonso. She founded the convent of Poor Clares at Coimbra, where she retired as a Franciscan Tertiary. She continued her service to the poor and sick. In 1336, the former queen was made to go back. She settled a war between her son and his father-in-law, the King of Castille. She left the convent and made the two resolve in peace.

Not long after, Saint Elizabeth fell ill. She died of fever on July 4, 1336 at Estremoz. She was buried at Coimbra, Portugal where miracles were said to have taken place. Saint Elizabeth of Portugal was proclaimed a saint by Pope Urban VIII on June 24, 1625.

**************************

GOD AS THE SOURCE OF TRUE AUTHORITY

Jesus narrowly escapes from a thorny and controversial predicament by carrying out a miraculous cure, which is actually a proof anyway of His power over evil and sin. It’s a relief to arrive at the conclusion: “At the sight, a feeling of awe came over the crowd, and they praised God for giving such authority to men.”
Truly it is God who is the source of such authority and power. The scribes of the incident thought that they were exercising their authority as guardians of the Law by passing judgment on Jesus: “The man blasphemes.” According to them, Jesus had no right in the first place to forgive sins. In the end, authority which is not at the service of the person becomes twisted, subject to the whims and caprices of human judgement. Our Lord Himself knows our innermost thoughts, just as he was aware of what the scribes were thinking, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts?” He might be asking us also the same question now, with our tendency to cling to the comfort zones of our rigid categories.
Let us, instead, always seek God’s glory. Let us allow Him to intervene in our lives, even if He will go against our established ways of thinking and doing. He need not even prove to us His power and authority, for in the first place it is something we already acknowledge. Fr. Martin M.

REFLECTION QUESTION: Why do you harbor evil thoughts?

I seek Your Glory, Lord. I acknowledge Your sovereignty.

St. Zoe, martyr, pray for us.

 

[kerstinne25]

JULY 6, 2007
FRIDAY



GREAT PRETENDER

"Those who are well do not need a physician but the sick do.” – Matthew 9:12

I was Obet: the “great pretender.” I puffed up with pride when people admired me because I was strong, intelligent and talented. At day’s end when I removed all my masks, I couldn’t even look at the mirror. I dreaded to see the hypocrite staring back at me.
My self-definition was shaped by what others thought of me. But what they saw was just the tip of the iceberg. Below the façade of power were layers of ugliness: I had chronic asthma.
I was terribly lazy and irresponsible.
I was insecure and had poor self-esteem. When I couldn’t bear the emptiness any more, I surrendered. Then God moved and sent people as instruments of His truth and love. When I admitted I was sick, healing took place. Truth is beautiful.
St. Catherine’s song “I am Beautiful” best describes my experience. Every time I sing it, I am moved to tears reliving the moment of being immersed in His love. A priest friend was right when he said, “The church of Christ is not a museum for saints.
It’s a hospital for sinners like you and me.”
Who am I? I am Obet. I am beautiful, I am loved, I am forgiven by the mercy of God! Obet C.

REFLECTION:
Are you enjoying the lie? Afraid of the truth? Ask for His mercy and grace.

May I live in Truth O God that I may truly live. Amen.

*********************************

1st READING

Genesis 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67

Many of the events in the lives of the patriarchs have a very simple and human feel to them. I like the final line of today’s reading in that it demonstrates the humanity of Isaac. Sometimes we can tend to almost divinize those whom God works with powerfully to the point that it is almost impossible to relate to them as people like ourselves. Here we hear that Isaac is consoled for the loss of his mother through finding a wife. He is like us after all.

1 The span of Sarah’s life was one hundred and twenty-seven years. 2 She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham performed the customary mourning rites for her. 3 Then he left the side of his dead one and addressed the Hittites: 4 “Although I am a resident alien among you, sell me from your holdings a piece of property for a burial ground, that I may bury my dead wife.” 19 After this transaction, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 24: 1 Abraham had now reached a ripe old age, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2 Abraham said to the senior servant of his household, who had charge of all his possessions: “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not procure a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live, 4 but that you will go to my own land and to my kindred to get a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The servant asked him: “What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Should I then take your son back to the land from which you migrated?” 6 “Never take my son back there for any reason,” Abraham told him. 7 “The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my kin, and who confirmed by oath the promise he then made to me, ‘I will give this land to your descendants’ — he will send his messenger before you, and you will obtain a wife for my son there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to follow you, you will be released from this oath. But never take my son back there!” 62 Meanwhile Isaac had gone from Beer-lahai-roi and was living in the region of the Negeb. 63 One day toward evening he went out. . . in the field, and as he looked around, he noticed that camels were approaching. 64 Rebekah, too, was looking about, and when she saw him, she alighted from her camel 65 and asked the servant, “Who is the man out there, walking through the fields toward us?” “That is my master,” replied the servant. Then she covered herself with her veil. 66 The servant recounted to Isaac all the things he had done. 67 Then Isaac took Rebekah into his tent; he married her, and thus she became his wife. In his love for her Isaac found solace after the death of his mother Sarah.

P S A L M

Psalm 106:1-2, 3-4, 4-5

R: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. 2 Who can tell the mighty deeds of the LORD, or proclaim all his praises? (R) 3 Blessed are they who observe what is right, who do always what is just. 4 Remember us, O LORD, as you favor your people. (R) Visit me with your saving help, 5 that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, rejoice in the joy of your people, and glory with your inheritance. (R)

G O S P E L

Matthew 9:9-13

There is no way around it! If we want to evangelize people, we have to spend time with them and often on their terms. Jesus goes to Matthew and invites him to follow Him. The Jews do not associate with tax collectors as they consider them as traitors to the Jewish people in that they are collaborating with the Romans. How else is Jesus going to call him to be a disciple if He does not go to him? It is as simple as that: if we want to be evangelists, we must be ready to meet people on their terms and often in their domain as well.

9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. 10 While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. 11 The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. 13 Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

my reflections
think: If we want to be evangelists, we must be ready to meet people on their terms and often in their domain as well.

________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Sirach 23-25


*********************************

MATTHEW’S “FAREWELL PARTY” AND HIS GUESTS

Was the dinner thrown by Matthew perhaps some sort of a despedida for his old profession, now that the Lord has called him to a new life of discipleship? The ex-tax collector’s main guests were those of his old profession, as well as those known as sinners. Was Matthew perhaps sending them a message that they were never outside Jesus’ mercy and forgiveness, and consequently they were never beyond repentance and conversion?
Sinners are indeed never too far beyond the reach of the Good News of Salvation. Even the attacker of St. Maria Goretti (the teenage martyr of purity whom we commemorate and honor today) was never distant from God’s saving grace: serving his jail sentence, Alessandro Serenelli repented of his heinous sin and was converted. He even begged forgiveness from the mother of Maria. In the first place, as Maria was dying from the stab wounds inflicted on her, she in fact whispered words of forgiveness for Alessandro.
When indeed love and forgiveness prevail, then there is no room for hatred and sin. And it is consoling that it’s precisely the “sick” people who are definitely in the market for God’s offer of healing, forgiveness and salvation — not the self-righteous who think they can already do everything for themselves.
Catholic philosopher-writer Peter Kreeft puts it nicely in his book— Making Choices: “The church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners. To publicly profess to the world that you are a Christian, by going to church every Sunday, is not to say to the world that you are better than they are but that you are desperately ill.” And so, let’s bring on the “party” of the Eucharistic celebration! Fr. Martin M.

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you allow love and forgiveness to prevail?

I am still a sinner, Lord, constantly in need of Your forgiveness.

St. Maria Goretti, virgin and martyr, pray for us.

 

[kerstinne25]

JULY 8, 2007
SATURDAY



HERE-N-NOW MISSION SOCIETY!

...the Lord appointed... – Luke 10:1

I read about a group of evangelists who, after months of training, fund raising and preparation, were aboard the plane headed for a mission field in Africa.
The grand missionary trip ended even before it started. The plane crashed in the thick jungles, without a soul surviving.
I wondered, “Why the waste, Lord? How could you not even allow these eager hearts to be missionaries as they have dreamed?”
God told me “Jon, I did. They’ve been missionaries all their lives!”
A young German named Wolfgang never had even a streak of a TV evangelist’s flare.
He just read his Bible every lunch in his spot at the construction site. Amidst the jeering of his co-workers, he prayed for a way to demonstrate Christ’s love to them.
When the workers went home at night, they always left their muddy boots behind. Wolfgang began staying late after work to clean their boots. The men were puzzled at first but then realized that Wolfgang was the only one among them who would perform this humble service. Only eternity will reveal the full effect of Wolfgang’s shining life. He is Officer First Class for the ‘Here-n-Now’ Missionary Society. Jon E.

REFLECTION:
Your mission territory’s name is “Here.” Have you seen it yet?

Lord, help me see the nearness of my mission territory, and the urgency of its present need, and the simplicity of its strategy.

*****************

1st READING

Isaiah 66:10-14

Sometimes it is hard to envision what a world at peace would really be like given the multitude of conflicts that seem to be raging at any time. Yet we must believe that this is what the Lord would want us to experience. The problem is sin in all its various forms and natures. If we want peace in the world, then we must first be willing to address the sins and injustices that militate against peace, because with them present, true peace is impossible. There is no reason to despair. If we all did the little bit that God asks us to do in working against sin, I am sure the world would rapidly become a much more peaceful place in which to live.

10 Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her, all you who love her; exult, exult with her, all you who were mourning over her! 11 Oh, that you may suck fully of the milk of her comfort, that you may nurse with delight at her abundant breasts! 12 For thus says the LORD: Lo, I will spread prosperity over her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent. As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap; 13 as a mother comforts her son, so will I comfort you; in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort. 14 When you see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bodies flourish like the grass; the LORD’s power shall be known to his servants.

P S A L M

Psalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20

R: Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

1 Shout joyfully to God, all you on earth, 2 sing praise to the glory of his name; proclaim his glorious praise. 3 Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds! (R) 4 Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you, sing praise to your name!” 5 Come and see the works of God, his tremendous deeds among men. (R) 6 He has changed the sea into dry land; through the river they passed on foot; therefore let us rejoice in him. 7 He rules by his might forever; his eyes watch the nations; rebels may not exalt themselves. (R) 16 Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare what he has done for me. (R) 20 Blessed be God who refused me not my prayer or his kindness! (R)

2nd READING

Galatians 6:14-18

The power to change the world, the power to change our lives, is not something that we have in ourselves of our own abilities. It is a gift to us through the cross of Jesus. It is in and through Jesus that all transformation for the good will occur. This is why Paul exhorts us to crucify ourselves, that is get rid of all vanity and self-seeking, if we want to be able to access the power for transformation given to us through the cross and resurrection of Jesus.

14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision, but only a new creation. 16 Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God. 17 From now on, let no one make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

G O S P E L

Luke 10:1-12.17-20

Are you willing to be sent out to proclaim the Gospel to others? If not, why not? This is a part of the life of any follower of Jesus. Our willingness to become the evangelizer is a sign of a maturing faith that is seeking to bring to others that which we ourselves have received. It is the sign that I look for when trying to assess how well a person has internalized the teachings of the Gospel. It is the goal that I am praying for when I begin the work of evangelization in a group of people – that there will come the day when they will be taking the Gospel to others.

1 After this the Lord appointed seventy [-two] others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. 3 Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. 4 Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. 5 Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ 6 If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. 8 Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, 9 cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ 10 Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, 11 ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town. 17 The seventy [-two] returned rejoicing, and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” 18 Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. 19 Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

my reflections
think: Are you willing to be sent out to proclaim the Gospel to others?

________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Sirach 31-35

SABBATH PAUSE

My weekly time with God

THANK YOU LIST

Things to be grateful for from the past week

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

SPECIAL NEEDS

Things to ask God for in the coming week

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

HIDDEN TREASURE

Most important word God told me this week

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________


***************



SENT AND EMPOWERED BY THE LORD

When it comes to following Jesus as His disciples, or in the carrying out of the ministry, we perhaps have a tendency to be pragmatic. We want to be well-prepared, with well laid-out plans and provisions as it were, plotting steps and foreseeing situations as much as possible. Can it be that such an attitude on our part betrays our lack of trust in Divine Providence? In today’s Gospel, Jesus, in fact, gives detailed instructions to the seventy-two whom He appointed. That is precisely the reason for what should be a selfless, determined confidence in the Lord as we follow Him: we are not just embarking on our own, but we are taking “marching orders” from Someone who even empowers us. That is also why we need not be encumbered by pragmatic provisions, for the Lord indeed will provide after all.
Jesus is not just calling us to follow Him, but He is also sending us to go out as His “advanced party” (note the first verse). It is always a dual action He intends for us: He tells us first “Halikayo,” and then also “Humayo kayo.” He wants us to be disciples (learners, followers — “taga-sunod”), as well as apostles (sent out, as “alagad”).
Later we shall return to Him from our outposts, “in jubilation” for the many wonders which will have taken place in the course of our mission. But Jesus himself sets the record straight when it comes to what should be the real reason for our rejoicing. Just like in cities of ancient times which registered their own citizens (thus enabling them to enjoy all the privileges offered by that city), we too are citizens of the New Jerusalem, we are registered in the Book of Life.
Indeed there’s no need for pragmatic preparations, after all! We exult that we are in fellowship with God. Fr. Martin M.

REFLECTION QUESTION: Have you “gone out” as Jesus commanded?

Thank You, Lord, for entrusting me with Your great commission.

St. Kilian, monk, pray for us.

 

[kerstinne25]

JULY 10, 2007
TUESDAY

WRESTLING WITH THE LORD

“I will not let you go until you bless me.”– Genesis 32:27

How could he? He knew he never had a chance. He knew it was always God who would prevail! How irreverent, above all, to “wrestle with the Lord!”

Ah, but this is Jacob – persistent, relentless, single-minded in his pursuit for blessing. Jacob never waited for his destiny. He made it happen. To Jacob, divine destiny should be met by human response. And he was named Israel!

Know what’s the most amazing of it all? The Lord allowing Jacob to wrestle with Him! It might have cost Jacob’s hip, but he surely developed some “inner muscles” in the process. My favorite talk as a preacher is on the topic of surrendering fully to God. “Let God, let go!” Yet, how can I disagree with Jacob’s wrestling with God when I too have been “wrestling with Him all my life”?

“I will not let you go until you bless me.” I pray hard and offer at the Lord’s altar my dreams and my goals. But I also work hard in pursuing them. Persistently. Relentlessly. Stubbornly. Even if I know that it is always He who will prevail!

And you know what’s the most amazing of it all? The Lord allowing me to wrestle with Him! So far, my hips are still intact, and I sure am developing some “inner muscles” too. Alvin B.

REFLECTION:

Do you feel guilty when you “wrestle with the Lord”? Do you see that sometimes, for some divine purpose, He allows you to?

O God, teach me when to submit fully to you, and teach me when You allow me to “wrestle with You.” Amen.


****************************

1st READING

Genesis 32:23-33

Jacob is a determined character and is not going to lose this wrestle with God.He wants a blessing from his opponent. He wants to know his name as a sign of his victory over him. The stranger refuses to give Jacob his name and Jacob realizes that he has struggled with the Lord, hence the name Peniel. Let us not be afraid to struggle and wrestle a blessing from God. Who knows, we may become as great as Jacob.

23 In the course of that night, however, Jacob arose, took his two wives, with the two maidservants and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 24 After he had taken them across the stream and had brought over all his possessions, 25 Jacob was left there alone. Then some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. 26 When the man saw that he could not prevail over him, he struck Jacob’s hip at its socket, so that the hip socket was wrenched as they wrestled. 27 The man then said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” 28 “What is your name?” the man asked. He answered, “Jacob.” 29 Then the man said, “You shall no longer be spoken of as Jacob, but as Israel, because you have contended with divine and human beings and have prevailed.” 30 Jacob then asked him, “Do tell me your name, please.” He answered, “Why should you want to know my name?” With that, he bade him farewell. 31 Jacob named the place Peniel, “Because I have seen God face to face,” he said, “yet my life has been spared.” 32 At sunrise, as he left Penuel, Jacob limped along because of his hip. 33 That is why, to this day, the Israelites do not eat the sciatic muscle that is on the hip socket, inasmuch as Jacob’s hip socket was struck at the sciatic muscle.

P S A L M

Psalm 17:1, 2-3, 6-7, 8, 15

R: In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.

1 Hear, O LORD, a just suit; attend to my outcry; hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit. (R) 2 From you let my judgment come; your eyes behold what is right. 3 Though you test my heart, searching it in the night, though you try me with fire, you shall find no malice in me. (R) 6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my word. 7 Show your wondrous mercies, O savior of those who flee from their foes. (R) 8 Hide me in the shadow of your wings. 15 I in justice shall behold your face; on waking, I shall be content in your presence. (R)

G O S P E L

Matthew 9:32-38

Jealousy is a wicked and destructive thing. We should all rejoice when a demon is cast out of our neighbor and he or she is freed to live a fruitful life as a son or daughter of God. The Pharisees are jealous of the power of Jesus and his popularity with the people. May this never happen to us. I pray that we are always able to rejoice in the blessings and gifts God bestows on others so that we can all work together to bring about the kingdom of God.

32 As they were going out, a demoniac who could not speak was brought to him, 33 and when the demon was driven out the mute person spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.” 35 Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. 36 At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; 38 so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

my reflections

think: Jealousy is a wicked and destructive thing.

________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Sirach 40-43

****************************

JESUS’ COMPASSION

The scene described in our Gospel today (that of the crowds “lying prostrate from exhaustion, like sheep without a shepherd”) continues to be replicated all over the world, across times and places. More than physical exhaustion or hunger, what is even sadder are the innumerable people fatigued by spiritual weariness and lostness — people slowly dying spiritually, perhaps because they lack someone to share the Good News of Jesus with them.

It’s really a pity. And that is exactly the point: in the first place was thevery compassion of Jesus himself — something highlighted by Matthew: “At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity.” And scripture commentator William Barclay both echoes it and elaborates on it: “He [Jesus] was not annoyed with their foolishness; he was not angry at their shiftlessness; he was sorry for them ... He did not see man as a criminal to be condemned; he saw man as a lost wanderer to be found and brought home. He did not see men as chaff to be burned; he saw them as a harvest to be reaped for God... He never regarded people as nuisance, but always as people whom he must help” (New Testament Words).

How would we react nowadays to similar scenes of misery, similarsituations of suffering? Better yet (granted that such situations are inevitable anyway because of the given lack of workers), how much have we prayed to the Harvest Master to send out more laborers indeed to help in the harvesting? And lastly, how do we let Jesus utilize our very own selves for this work? Fr. Martin M.



REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you make yourself available to be a laborer for the Kingdom?

Prepare us for Your work. Grant us hearts of compassion, ready to do the action.

Blessed Emmanuel Ruiz, martyr, pray for us.

 

[kerstinne25]

JULY 11, 2007
WEDNESDAY

FAVORITE

In fact, all the world came to Joseph to obtain rations… – Genesis 41:57

We all know the story of Joseph. He was a favorite son, the only one who received a coat of many colors as a gift from his father. He was also the one sold into slavery byhis jealous brothers, the guy who was accused by Pharaoh’s wife of attempted rape, the guy who was imprisoned for most of his young life.

Well, it seems to me that his experience ofbeing loved from a very young age was enough to permanently take on the perspective that life is good. His terrible experiences never erased that from his heart and mind. And when times of famine came, he had enough in his storeroom to share with others.Enough even for the very same brothers who had caused him so much misery.

What a contrast to his bitter and envious brothers!

When famine time came, they only sawpunishment. Probably because guilt lurked in their consciousness of how evil they had been to their brother.

Is our experience of the Father’s love inour early Christian walk enough to take us through possible years of famine and deepen our faith maturity? Victoria L.

REFLECTION:

Is our experience of the Father’s love in our early Christian walk enough to take us through possible years of famine and deepen our faith maturity?

May we always have the experience of early blessings fresh in our hearts especially as we go through darker times.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

1st READING

Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7, 17-24

Through the advent of a famine, God brings together Joseph and his brothers and reconciles them. It is an important moment in the history of Israel as it is from this reunion that the people move to Egypt where after a few hundred years they become enslaved under a king who does not know Joseph. Egypt, a place that is initially a blessing, becomes a land of curse for the People of God.

55 When hunger came to be felt throughout the land of Egypt and the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, Pharaoh directed all the Egyptians to go to Joseph and do whatever he told them. 56 When the famine had spread throughout the land, Joseph opened all the cities that had grain and rationed it to the Egyptians, since the famine had gripped the land of Egypt. 57 In fact, all the world came to Joseph to obtain rations of grain, for famine had gripped the whole world. 42: 5 Thus, since there was famine in the land of Canaan also, the sons of Israel were among those who came to procure rations. 6 It was Joseph, as governor of the country, who dispensed the rations to all the people. When Joseph’s brothers came and knelt down before him with their faces to the ground, 7 he recognized them as soon as he saw them. But he concealed his own identity from them and spoke sternly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked them. They answered, “From the land of Canaan, to procure food.” 17 With that, he locked them up in the guardhouse for three days. 18 On the third day Joseph said to them: “Do this, and you shall live; for I am a God-fearing man. 19 If you have been honest, only one of your brothers need be confined in this prison, while the rest of you may go and take home provisions for your starving families. 20 But you must come back to me with your youngest brother. Your words will thus be verified, and you will not die.” To this they agreed. 21 To one another, however, they said: “Alas, we are being punished because of our brother. We saw the anguish of his heart when he pleaded with us, yet we paid no heed; that is why this anguish has now come upon us.” 22 “Didn’t I tell you,” broke in Reuben, “not to do wrong to the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now comes the reckoning for his blood.” 23 They did not know, of course, that Joseph understood what they said, since he spoke with them through an interpreter. 24 But turning away from them, he wept.

P S A L M

Psalm 33:2-3, 10-11, 18-19

R: Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

2 Give thanks to the LORD on the harp; with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises. 3 Sing to him a new song; pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness. (R) 10 The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations; he foils the designs of peoples. 11 But the plan of the LORD stands forever; the design of his heart, through all generations. (R) 18 But see, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness, 19 to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine. (R)

G O S P E L

Matthew 10:1-7

Jesus sends out the disciples to proclaim the Gospel. Today we celebrate the life of St Benedict, one of the greatest monks of the Western Church. As we pray for the Benedictine orders, for both men and women, let us also thank God for the lives of intercession they lead for the Church. I hate to think what a mess we would be in without the thousands of contemplatives who have dedicated their lives to interceding for the Church and particularly her leaders.

1 Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; 4 Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. 5 Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

my reflections

think: Let us pray for our contemplative brothers and sisters.

________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Sirach 44-47

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

GOD’S REIGN AS SOMETHING AT HAND

The calling and choosing of the Twelve Apostles, the list of their names, and the initial instructions given to them by Jesus all indicate a certain “constitutionality” in the Twelve. They are like a judicially established group, which nevertheless doesn’t mean that it is closed in on itself. The mission they have, in the first place, shows they are not at all for themselves alone. Although Jesus’ instruction to them is to start their ministry with “the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” nevertheless theirs is an openness which launches them always outward. And moreover, the list of the Apostles goes on, as it were, across the centuries and until the present day.

The saints, in fact, are like such “extensions” of the Apostles. They have been raised by God, in response to definite times and situations in history. In the case of St. Benedict (our saint for today), he was the bright light in the midst of the darkness of the Middle Ages. Apart from his many experiences and enterprises, a remarkable example from his life was his relationship with his sister, Scholastica (who herself also became a saint). One incident (recorded and offered as the Second Reading in the Divine Office of February 10, Memorial of St. Scholastica) was their spending the night together (after some initial hesitation on the part of Benedict). It took some divine intervention, and they eventually passed the night talking about holy things and eternal happiness. The following morning they parted, and three days later Scholastica died. Benedict was at that time alone in his cell absorbed in prayer when, lifting his eyes, he saw his Scholastica’s soul ascending to heaven as a dove. Filled with joy, he praised and thanked God.

“Charity begins at home,” as we commonly say. Our Lord Jesus himselfinstructed his Apostles that they didn’t need to go far when it comes to carrying out their mission. So also we can start with the people precisely around us, those closest to us whether in our families, with our friends, or in our workplaces. To them, first and foremost, we make the announcement with our lives, “The reign of God is at hand!” Fr. Martin M.

REFLECTION QUESTION: How are you being a light in the darkness?

May I be glowing always with Your love and truth.

St. Cindeus, martyred priest, pray for us.

 

[kerstinne25]

Dear Friends,

Reflect God's love to every person you meet this Tuesday.

Praying for you,
Kerstinne25

17 July
Tuesday


THE UNBELIEVING TOWNS

“Did you want to lift yourself up to heaven?” – Matthew 11:23

Jesus is fuming mad at the unbelieving townsof Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. Jesus even implies Capernaum is worse than Sodom. Whoa!

I know Sodom was a city destroyed by firetogether with a neighboring city, Gomorrah, because of the sinfulness of the people (Genesis 18-19).

Sidon is the chief city of Phoenicia, an ancientregion of city states at the end of the Mediterranean in the region of present day Syria and Lebanon.

Tyre is a seaport in southwest Lebanon on the Mediterranean. In Ezekiel 28, the Hebrew prophet is saying that the Lord is angry at the king of Tyre because the king is so puffed up with pride; he claims to be a god, sitting on a throne surrounded by the seas.

So there. Pride. God was angry with thepeople of the ancient places because they were too proud to believe, much more follow Him. So Jesus was angry with the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum because they were a lot prouder than the generation before them!

Now I ask myself, what about Quezon City,Philippines where I live? Am I a lot worse than the people of the unbelieving towns Jesus was so mad at? Cynthia S.

REFLECTION:

Am I a lot worse than the people of the unbelieving towns Jesus was so mad at?

Lord, help me realize my sins and help me to confess them and make amends.

*****************************

A WELL-INTENDED SCOLDING FROM JESUS

Three towns bear the brunt of Jesus’ anger in today’s Gospel: Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, because of their lack of faith. To apply the Gospel lesson to ourselves now is easy enough: just try substituting your own name to that of any of the three. The effect of Jesus’ strongly worded denunciation is solid indeed.

Instead there are three other towns which Jesus also mentioned: Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom. These were like a basis or point of reference with which Jesus contrasted the receptivity and faith of the people belonging to the first set of towns.

“I assure you, it will go easier for Tyre and Sidon [and for Sodom] than for you on the day of judgment.”

We should unhesitatingly ask ourselves, “To which town do we now ‘belong’?” Let us not wait until Judgment Day for us to wake up and be convinced of our lifetime task of renewal and conversion. How open and receptive are we then to welcome Jesus, to put faith in His miracles, and to reform our lives?

If ever Jesus will have to castigate us, let us remember that it is not so much from an outraged pride as from a broken heart on His part. We may be guilty indeed of hurting Him, and He will be angry with us — but even this is intended for our own conversion, for our own good. Fr. Martin M.

REFLECTION QUESTION: To which town do we belong?

Forgive us, Lord, for causing You anger.

Blessed Antoinette Roussel, pray for us.

**************************



1st READING

Moses is miraculously saved and is ultimately brought up within the household of Pharaoh by his mother. Only God could bring about such an occurrence of grace. All this trouble for one little child tells us Moses must be destined for something truly great. In the Scriptures we often see miracles surrounding the birth of someone destined for greatness in the plan of God. This suggests to us that their mission is not just an accident.

Exodus 2:1-15

1 Now a certain man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 who conceived and bore a son. Seeing that he was a goodly child, she hidhim for three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer, she took a papyrus basket, daubed it with bitumen and pitch, and putting the child in it, placed it among the reeds on the river bank. 4 His sister stationed herself at a distance to find out what would happen to him. 5 Pharaoh’s daughter came down to the river to bathe, while her maids walked along the river bank. Noticing the basket among the reeds, she sent her handmaid to fetch it. 6 On opening it, she looked, and lo, there was a baby boy, crying! She was moved with pity for him and said, “It is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 “Yes, do so,” she answered. So the maiden went and called the child’s own mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will repay you.” The woman therefore took the child and nursed it. 10 When the child grew, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her son and called him Moses; for she said, “I drew him out of the water.” 11 On one occasion, after Moses had grown up, when he visited his kinsmen and witnessed their forced labor, he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his own kinsmen. 12 Looking about and seeing no one, he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out again, and now two Hebrews were fighting! So he asked the culprit, “Why are you striking your fellow Hebrew?” 14 But he replied, “Who has appointed you ruler and judge overus? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses became afraid and thought, “The affair must certainly be known.” 15 Pharaoh, too, heard of the affair and sought to put him to death. But Moses fled from him and stayed in the land of Midian.

P S A L M

Psalm 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34

R: Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.

2 [3] I am sunk in the abysmal swamp where there is no foothold; I have reached the watery depths; the flood overwhelms me. (R) 13 [14] But I pray to you, O LORD, for the time of your favor, O God! In your great kindness answer me with your constant help. (R) 29 [30] But I am afflicted and in pain; let your saving help, O God, protect me. 30 [31] I will praise the name of God in song, and I will glorify him with thanksgiving. (R) 32 [33] “See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your hearts revive! 33 [34] For the LORD hears the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.” (R) G O S P E L

Matthew 11:20-24

We should be careful that the chastisement given to Tyre and Sidon here cannotbe applied to our lives. God graces us all with many gifts and blessings. Let us be sure we accept them and use them well or we might find ourselves under the same judgment. Let us also pray that all who receive God’s graces use them wisely to promote both their own salvation and the proclamation of the Kingdom of God.

20 Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23 And as for you, Capernaum: Praise of the Father ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.’ For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

my reflections

think: Let us also pray that all who receive God’s graces use them wisely to promote both their own salvation and the proclamation of the Kingdom of God.

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Isaiah 13-14

 

[sandwich20m]

tnx mama kers,

 

[kerstinne25]

JULY 18, 2007
WEDNESDAY


Dear Friends,

His light is shining on you this Wednesday.

Praying for you,

Kerstinne25

*****************



DELIVERED

So the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have truly noted that the Egyptians are oppressing them. – Exodus 3:9

December 11, 2005 was a red letter day for the Light of Jesus Community members. This was D-Day for the LOJ-Anawim-Gawad Kalinga project. As early as 7:00 in the morning, people kept coming to assemble at the covered court in Montalban for instructions before proceeding to the houses assigned to them. Their task: to install the front and back awning, finish the construction of the stairs to the loft, and paint the outside walls of the house.

Everyone was excited, though a little ignorant bout handling a paint brush or nailing wood, but the enthusiasm and sincerity was clearly evident.

As I went inside one of the houses, the resident, a pregnant woman with a one-yearold kid, started telling me how grateful her family was for being one of those chosen to resettle in this place. She used to dread the sound of the rain because of the rushing water that would rise up to 10 feet every time there was a storm in the city. As soon as she heard it, they would have to evacuate to the second floor and sometimes remain there for three days.

Yes, December 11, 2005 was the day God brought His people out of Egypt. Chelle C.

REFLECTION:

What miracle has the Lord performed in your life today?

Every day, You deliver me from Egypt. Help me to remember this truth.

**************************



“HIDE-AND-SEEK” WITH GOD

If yesterday we saw the lack of faith of three towns of Galilee, today’s Gospel instead is a tender contrast: we have the humble faith of the little ones in God’s Kingdom.

This brings to my mind a simple cartoon of many years ago, wherein several theologians and religious experts (recognizable in their clerical garb) are depicted as frantically searching around, while Jesus was simply in a corner with two kids, gesturing to them to keep quiet about their whereabouts.

Actually the “learned” and the “clever” whom Jesus refers to are those who are already closed in their views about God and the world, unwilling to change them and to learn something new. They are convinced that they already know everything about God, that they possess the true doctrine.

They seem to forget that no one ever possesses the truth, because it is really the other way around: it is always the truth which possesses us. That is why the only thing that matters is that we surrender to God.

In this game of “hide-and-seek” with God, therefore, the real winner turns out to be the one who is “caught” by Him, not the one who has hidden himself very well by locking himself up in his own views. Let us allow ourselves to be “caught” by God — indeed, we can be among those “to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him.” Fr. Martin M.

REFLECTION QUESTION: Are you allowing God to catch you?

My thoughts and self I bare to You. I no longer wish to hide from Your mercy and love.

St. Camillus de Lellis, pray for us.
***************************



1st READING

P S A L M

The burning bush is perhaps one of the most famous epiphanies of the Bible. God appears to Moses and tells him He has a task for him to do. It must have been a pretty disturbing sort of experience – a bush blazing away and not getting consumed by the fire. In a way this is reminiscent of God’s love – the way it blazes in our hearts and only consumes the sin and leaves the rest of us purified and holy.

Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12

1 Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There an angel of the LORD appeared to him in fire flaming out of a bush. As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed. 3 So Moses decided, “I must go over to look at this remarkable sight, and see why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.” 5 God said, “Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. 6 I am the God of your father,” he continued, “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 9 “The cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have truly notedthat the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 Come, now! I will send you to Pharaoh to lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 He answered, “I will be with you; and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you when you bring my people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this very mountain.”

Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7

R: The Lord is kind and merciful.

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (R) 3 He pardons all your iniquities, he heals all your ills. 4 He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion. (R) 6 The LORD secures justice and the rights of all the oppressed. 7 He has made known his ways to Moses, and his deeds to the children of Israel. (R)

G O S P E L

Matthew 11:25-27

Jesus knows that the heart of His Father is for those who cannot defend or look after themselves. We see this in the Law of Moses where there are laws that provide for widows and orphans from the temple treasury and thus the tithe of the people. Similarly we must see to it that the poor and outcast of society are not left outside the care of the Church Community or we will have failed in our Christian duty to love.

25 At that time Jesus said in reply, “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. 26 Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

my reflections

think: We must see to it that the poor and outcast of society are not left outside the care of the Church Community or we will have failed in our Christian duty to love.

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Isaiah 15-18

 

[Lovely Face]

Just wanna share this verse to you, it striked my heart kse lalo na sa tym na doubtful ako..

"God will always give what right to His people who cry to him night and day, and He will not be slow to answer them" Luke 18:7

 

[kerstinne25]

19
July
Thursday

Dear Friends
This Thursday, remember that He knows you and loves you.

Praying for you,
Kerstinne25

********************

DEEP ENCOUNTER

“Come to Me….” – Matthew 11:28

“If you completely give of yourself physically, you become exhausted. But when you give of yourself spiritually, you get more strength.”

I think I know why Oswald Chambers said that. One of the most fulfilling times in my life is when I would run encounter groups… connecting emotionally and spiritually with broken people like me, people who least know that it is intimacy with God that beckons. They can sense their need for Him, but clouded by concerns about family and work and even vocation, they fail to identify what they are really hungry for.

I experience deep joy when participants of these sessions brighten up with the realization of what they really want. And I am conscious that it is the Spirit of the Lord moving… connecting… and eventually resting in our hearts and minds as we find Him and embrace Him and carry Him with us when we wrap up our sessions and return to our “back home” situation.

In spite of a hectic schedule these encounter weekends usually are on, I always feel energized afterwards. Even in my role as facilitator, I experienced with them the fruits of the spiritual encounter. Cristy G.

REFLECTION:

Do you nourish others’ spirits?

Strengthen me with more than physical strength. Equip me with the energy to spiritually nourish others.

******************

FAITH: HEAVY OR LIGHT?

Continuing yesterday’s Gospel passage, these verses today complete the message. Who can ever resist such a kindhearted invitation from Jesus? He beckons us to come to him, we indeed who “are weary and find life burdensome.” Furthermore, He instructs us to take His yoke upon our shoulders, and learn from Him. The prize for all this is, quite simply, a consoling rest.

Nil Guillemette’s explanation for this is both instructive and insightful: “The gentle yoke of Christ refers to the demands of Christian faith, of Christian duty: practicing the evangelical ethics of the Sermon on the Mount, faithfully obeying the decisions of the Church, accepting sickness and old age and death. This burden, far from weighing us down, gives our life its true meaning. Like the wings of a bird, our burden carries us whereas we thought we were carrying it” (A Kingdom for All ).

St. Augustine put it in another way: “Where there is love, there is no toil; or if there is toil, the toil is loved.” And so we ask, how “heavy” is the Faith for us now?

We have reason to wonder in case it is so. Perhaps we haven’t yet heeded Jesus’ invitation to us. What are we waiting for, then? Fr. Martin M.

REFLECTION QUESTION: How “heavy” is the Faith for us now?

Thank You for the rest You provide.

Sts. Justa &Rufina, virgins and martyrs, pray for us.

*********************

1st READING

Exodus 3:11-20

God reveals His name to Moses, a name destined never to be uttered by the Jews out of respect for its holiness. Whenever the Jews come across the word for YHWH in their Scriptures they always substitute “The Lord” for it. Even some Christian scholars do the same out of respect for the Jewish faith. However, as Christians we believe that one of the results of salvation is that we have come to know God in a new way that allows us to use His name.

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 He answered, “I will be with you; and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you: when you bring my people out of Egypt, you will worship on this very mountain. 13 “But,” said Moses to God, “when I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?” 14 God replied, “I am who am.” Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites I AM sent me to you.” 15 God spoke further to Moses, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. ‘This is my name forever; this is my title for all generations.’ 16 Go and assemble the elders of the Israelites, and tell them The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me and said I am concerned about you and about the way you are being treated in Egypt; 17 so I have decided to lead you up out of the misery of Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey. 18 Thus they will heed your message. Then you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent us word. Permit us, then, to go a three days’ journey in the desert, that we may offer sacrifice to the LORD, our God. 19 Yet I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless he is forced. 20 I will stretch out my hand, therefore, and smite Egypt by doing all kinds of wondrous deeds there. After that he will send you away.”

P S A L M

Psalm 105:1, 5, 8-9, 24-25, 26-27

R: The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

1 Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name; make known among the nations his deeds. 5 Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgments he has uttered. (R) 8 He remembers forever his covenant which he made binding for a thousand generations — 9 which he entered into with Abraham and by his oath to Isaac. (R) 24 He greatly increased his people and made them stronger their foes, 25 whose hearts he changed, so that they hated his people, and dealt deceitfully with his servants. (R) 26 He sent Moses his servant; Aaron, whom he had chosen. 27 They wrought his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham. (R)

G O S P E L

Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus tells us the yoke he offers is light and easy to bear, unlike the one of the Pharisees derived from a misinterpretation or misapplication of the Law. It is important for us to know that God does not want our faith to be a burden to us – it ought to be something that gives life and not trouble or depression. Let us open our hearts to Jesus and embrace the call He places upon our lives because we can be sure that it is the way of life for us.

28 “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

my reflections

think: God does not want our faith to be a burden to us

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Isaiah 19-22

 

[freshmisfits]

wow ang taas2 nmn hehehe.... bsta lhat ng msg nya mabuti... kya lng may mga taong hnd xa nakikilala.,., pano kya ung mga taong un.... bsta god bless n lng s lhat

 

[kerstinne25]

JULY 20, 2007
FRIDAY

Dear FRIENDS,
This Friday, work with Him at your side.

Praying for you,

KERSTINNE25

********************


COMPASSION VS. CORRECTION

“I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” – Matthew 12:7

A young lady was venting out to her group of friends about how frustrating life had been for her and that she had stopped praying and was now angry with God. One of her friends suddenly blurted out and said, “Stop fretting. Those are evil thoughts. Grow up, get your act together and go to confession!”

It is astonishing how we find ways to judge one another. We set standards for acceptability and draw lines defining what is good enough and what is not. Thus, we fail to realize that an attitude can be as damaging as an unkind word or a forceful blow.

Sometimes we get too tied up in all sorts of technical religious issues that keep us from prioritizing the things that are on the Lord’s heart – that of reaching out with love. It is not just criticism that drags people down, it is also the force of judgment behind it.

Consideration and compassion are important Christian qualities. God does not want anyone to force their will on anyone else because God desires mercy and not harsh accusations. Jane G.

REFLECTION:

Are we the first to judge the wrongs of others, or do we reach out to them in love?

Lord, help me to see my brothers and sisters in the way You see them, through the eyes of unconditional love.



*************************

THANK GOD IT’S SUNDAY!

Well, today is actually a Friday. Perhaps we are more accustomed to make the usual exclamation in gratitude for the weekend. But we, for our part, want to be more specific: we are grateful to the Lord most especially for the “sabbath,” for His day, for Sunday.

In our Philippine context, probably the only thing we don’t hold on Sundays are political rallies. For us, the malls and badminton courts are open; it’s a great day for family and friends, for visits and hobbies, for worship in church and recreation in sports.

Hopefully we are able to maintain, in the midst of all these, the primacy or the supremacy of the human person, and of course the primacy or supremacy of God as the “Lord of the sabbath.” This is precisely what Jesus Christ emphasizes, as we see in today’s Gospel episode.

Yes —laws, do’s and don’ts, rules and regulations, and so on: all of these are useful and even essential (can you imagine badminton without the rules?). But let us never forget that all these are at the service of the human person, and not the other way around. It’s a good point for selfexamination, therefore. For instance, is our Sunday recreation truly a “recreation,” in the sense that it relaxes us and restores us in our health? Or do we always end up even more tired and unprepared for the following day (no wonder, the “Monday blues”)? Also, are we already so caught-up in the corporate rat-race, often working overtime, always rushing to beat deadlines (formula for burnout!) — to the point of sacrificing family life and health?

May the Lord serve to prick our consciences. After all, even God rested on the seventh day (so to speak), and of course Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. Surely we can use some time to praise and thank God, to rest and recreate ourselves, most especially on a Sunday. Fr. Martin M.

REFLECTION QUESTION: How do you keep the Sabbath day holy?

For Sabbath, the day of rest, thank You, Lord.

St. Flavian & Elias, bishop, pray for us.

*************************

1st READING

P S A L M

Moses and Aaron do all they can to convince the Pharaoh to let the people go. God gives them power to work many miracles and yet still Pharaoh is unconvinced of the necessity to relent. The build up in the story is palpable. We can feel the tension rising. What is God going to do now? And then the tension eases a little as we learn about the prescriptions for the Passover Meal. This is the lull before the storm and what a storm it will be!

Exodus 11:10—12:14

10 Although Moses and Aaron performed these various wonders in Pharaoh’s presence, the LORD made Pharaoh obstinate, and he would not let the Israelites leave his land. 12: 1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall stand at the head of your calendar; you shall reckon it the first month of the year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household. 4 If a family is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join the nearest household in procuring one and shall share in the lamb in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it. 5 The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take it from either the sheep or the goats. 6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present, it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight. 7 They shall take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb. 8 That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 It shall not be eaten raw or boiled, but roasted whole, with its head and shanks and inner organs. 10 None of it must be kept beyond the next morning; whatever is left over in the morning shall be burned up. 11 This is how you are to eat: eat it with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in flight. It is the Passover of the LORD. 12 For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every first-born of the land, both man and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt — I, the LORD! 13 But the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructiveblow will come upon you. 14 This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution.”

Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18

R: I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.

12 How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me? 13 The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD. (R) 15 Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones. 16 I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds. (R) 17 To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the LORD. 18 My vows to the LORD I will pay in the presence of all his people. (R)

G O S P E L

Matthew 12:1-8

Jesus will not bow down to rules that make no sense. The Sabbath is made for the people, namely to remind them of their religious obligations to God, not the people for the Sabbath. How silly can we get to deprive hungry people of food just because it is the wrong day to harvest food. Let us be sensible in the way that we follow the laws of God so that they are placed in the service of people and not the other way around.

1 Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, 4 how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? 5 Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent? 6 I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you knew what this meant, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned these innocent men. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”

my reflections



_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________


________________________________________________________


T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST


Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________


_______________________________________________________


READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Isaiah 23-25

think: Let us be sensible in the way that we follow the laws of God so that they are placed in the service of people and not the other way around.

 

[kerstinne25]

Dear friends,
Be filled with God?s joy this Saturday.

Praying for you,
Kerstinne25
********************

21 JULY 2007
Saturday

REMEMBERING EGYPT
The time the Israelites had stayed in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. – Exodus 12:40

Do you remember the time when… … you stayed till the end of a drinking party because you were too shy to walk out since the person who invited you was an important client?

… you stuck it out with a boyfriend whotreated you like dirt because it was better to have a boyfriend than to be looked upon with pity as a single girl?

… you allowed yourself to get into creditcard debt because you wanted others to think you were richer than you really were?

The Israelites are not alone in getting stuckin Egypt. We are just as culpable. What keeps us in Egypt isn’t Egypt. It’s our motivations. Our comfort zones. Our self talk and failure to love ourselves the way God loves us.

What kind of Egypt are you rotting in right now? Get out.Let Him lead you. Victoria L.

REFLECTION:

What kind of Egypt are you rotting in right now? Get out. Let Him lead you.

Take me out of this place where I am stuck. I wish to grow and follow Your light.

____________________________

JESUS’ NON-VIOLENT STAND

The main bulk of today’s Gospel reading is a passage from the prophetIsaiah. It is a description of the Suffering Servant, which Matthew now applies to Jesus. One verse is particularly telling (with its details concerning vocabulary): “He will not contend or cry out, nor will His voice be heard in the streets.”

Some English translations have the word “brawl” instead of “contend,”and then the Greek word for what we have as “cry out” actually refers to the barking of dogs, or the loud voice of a drunken man, or the uproar of a mob. We are being told that Jesus is not going to do anything at all like these instances (brawling, or barking, or shouting). On the other hand, in a total contrast to Jesus’ meekness and kindness, the Pharisees instead “began to plot against Jesus to find a way to destroy him.”

In the midst of today’s violence, factionalism, and civil strife, we certainly have a lesson here. Jesus Christ’s non-violent stand, with its passive and radical position, sends a very strong message for us. There is hope in this, contrary to what is usually perceived as signs of weakness or disadvantage. While many nowadays would not hesitate to use brute force and savagery in order to advance their causes, Jesus’ option is a clear one which challenges us. Yes, he might have to withdraw from the public eye and to remain on a low profile. That, in any case, is really the way of our Lord. But hopefully we will not be so evil as to actually “plot” against Jesus by means of our un-Christian motives and methods. Whether it be in school, office, factory, home, or marketplace, let us be ready to stand fast for our Faith, even if it means a disadvantaged position for us. Fr. Martin M.

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you promote peace?

Let Your peace reign!

St. Wastrada, widow, pray for us.

______________________

1st READING

God is about to deliver something in the order of probably more than two million people from slavery in Egypt. This is an enormous number of people. I do not know if it is possible that the Israelites would have numbered such around 1220 BCE. Numbers aside, it is truly a deliverance worth remembering and celebrating as the Jews still do today. It is still seen as a definitive moment in their history just as we Christians remember our deliverance from sin at the hands of Jesus.

Exodus 12:37-42

37 The Israelites set out from Rameses for Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, not counting the children. 38 A crowd of mixed ancestry also went up with them, besides their livestock, very numerous flocks and herds. 39 Since the dough they had brought out of Egypt was not leavened, they baked it into unleavened loaves. They had been rushed out of Egypt and had no opportunity even to prepare food for the journey. 40 The time the Israelites had stayed in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41 At the end of four hundred and thirty years, all the hosts of the LORD left the land of Egypt on this very date. 42 This was a night of vigil for the LORD, as he led them out of the land of Egypt; so on this same night all the Israelites must keep a vigil for the LORD throughout their generations.

P S A L M

Psalm 136: 1, 23-24, 10-12, 13-15

R: His mercy endures forever.

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever; 23 who remembered us in our abjection, for his mercy endures forever; 24 and freed us from our foes, for his mercy endures forever. (R) 10 Who smote the Egyptians in their first-born, for his mercy endures forever; 11 and brought out Israel from their midst, for his mercy endures forever; 12 with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, for his mercy endures forever. (R) 13 Who split the Red Sea in twain, for his mercy endures forever; 14 and led Israel through its midst, for hismercy endures forever; 15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea, for his mercy endures forever. (R)

G O S P E L

Matthew 12:14-21

From deliverance in Egypt to plots against Jesus; from one defining moment to the premonition of another. Jesus’ life and death will define our existence and being Christians in a greater way than the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt. The effect of the cross will change human history for all people and all time. It marks a new era of God’s grace.

14 The Pharisees went out and took counsel against him to put him to death. 15 When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many [people] followed him, and he cured them all, 16 but he warned them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: 18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. 21 And in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

my reflections

think: The effect of the cross will change human history for all people and all time. It marks a new era of God’s grace.

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________


_________________________________________________________


T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST


Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________


_______________________________________________________


READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Isaiah 26-28

 

[kerstinne25]

Dear Friends,
God has a great plan for your life, including this Tuesday.

Praying for you,
Kerstinne25

JULY 24, 2007
TUESDAY

HOW TO SELL A MILLION BOOKS

“When the water was thus divided, the Israelites marched into the midst of the sea on dry land ...” – Exodus 14:21-22

“The last thing the world needs is another self improvement manual.” This was what the publishers told Andrew Matthews, an Australian author, when he took the manuscript of his first book “Being Happy”. No publisher wanted his book. For one and a half years, all he got were rejections and sarcastic remarks until he found Media Masters, a publisher in Singapore.

Media Masters told him that the book market is extremely competitive and that the media have little interest in unknown authors.

They developed a strategy to get the people’s attention and penetrate the local market. The strategy worked and the book hit the bestseller list. Then they took the book to the international market.

When people asked Andrew, “What did you do to sell a million books?” His reply was, “I flew a million miles, gave five hundr ed speeches, a thousand interviews – and lost my baggage 23 times!” There are times when we are in difficult situations and we see no way out. But we need not lose hope for God can open up a way for us. Judith C.

REFLECTION:

What Red Sea do you need God to part for you?

Thank You, Lord, for making the impossible possible.

*************************
A SPIRITUAL KINSHIP WITH JESUS



“God became man so that man might become God.” This very terse summary of the mystery of the Incarnation highlights the great “exchange gift” between us and God. In a similar vein, Nil Guillemette comments on today’s Gospel passage: “If Jesus was born of a mother and entered a human family, it was so that every man might enter the spiritual family whose Father is God.”

Of course, it isn’t something automatic. The key to it all is doing God’s will. In fact Jesus stated it clearly, “Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is brother and sister and mother to Me.” From the incident narrated in the Gospel passage, it seems as if Jesus “snubbed” His very own relatives. Even if it were so, it only goes to show how our Lord emphasized the far greater importance of spiritual kinship, more than mere blood relations. And to think that this is a possibility being extended and opened to us today! If we Filipinos are so fond of flaunting to others our “connections” with those who are well known or who occupy certain important positions, what more now if we have the possibility of entering Jesus’ “inner circle”? It is no exclusive family or club, anyway. It is rather an all-embracing community, which always welcomes indeed “whoever does the will of [the] heavenly Father.” Fr. Martin M.

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do we recognize our powerful connection with Jesus?

I’m sorry, Lord, if I take You too often for granted, failing to recognize Your Lordship.

Blessed Maria Pilar Martinez Garcia & Companions, nun, pray for us.


*************************

1st READING

Exodus 14:21—15:1

The Egyptian army is destroyed as the sea rolls back in. What a glorious day it must have been for the Israelites fleeing from their captors and enslavers for the past couple of centuries. They will never forget this event for as long as their nation has a public consciousness. The same is true for Christians regarding the death of Jesus on the cross; the deliverance of humanity not just from an earthly captor but from all of the powers of sin.

21 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD swept the sea with a strong east wind throughout the night and so turned it into dry land. When the water was thus divided, 22 the Israelites marched into the midst of the sea on dry land, with the water like a wall to their right and to their left. 23 The Egyptians followed in pursuit; all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and charioteers went after them right into the midst of the sea. 24 In the night watch just before dawn the LORD cast through the column of the fiery cloud upon the Egyptian force a glance that threw it into a panic; 25 and he so clogged their chariot wheels that they could hardly drive. With that the Egyptians sounded the retreat before Israel, because the LORD was fighting for them against the Egyptians. 26 Then the LORD told Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their charioteers.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth. The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward the sea, when the LORD hurled them into its midst. 28 As the water flowed back, it covered the chariots and the charioteers of Pharaoh’s whole army which had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not a single one of them escaped. 29 But the Israelites had marched on dry land through the midst of the sea, with the water like a wall to their right and to their left. 30 Thus the LORD saved Israel on that day from the power of the Egyptians. When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore 31 and beheld the great power that the LORD had shown against the Egyptians, they feared the LORD and believed in him and in his servant Moses. 15: 1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant; horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.”

P S A L M

Exodus 15:8-9, 10, 12, 17

R: Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

8 At a breath of your anger the waters piled up, the flowing waters stood like a mound, the flood waters congealed in the midst of the sea. 9 The enemy boasted, “I will pursue and overtake them; I will divide the spoils and have my fill of them; I will draw my sword; my hand shall despoil them!” (R) 10 When your wind blew, the sea covered them; like lead they sank in the mighty waters. 12 When you stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them! (R) 17 And you brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance — the place where you made your seat, O LORD, the sanctuary, O LORD, which your hands established. (R)

G O S P E L

Matthew 12:46-50

Discipleship is what faith is all about when we consider the practical implications of it. Jesus calls us to obedience to His Father’s will, just as He is obedient to it unto death. Here we discover what it means to love God in that love leads to service and obedience to God’s will. We cannot avoid this obedience if we are going to truly grow in our ability to reflect the image of God in our lives.

46 While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.” 48 But he said in reply to the one who told him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

my reflections

think: Love leads to service and obedience to God’s will.

________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________


God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Isaiah 34-36

 

[kerstinne25]

Dear friends,
God will never leave you. This Wednesday is no different.

Praying for you,

Kerstinne25


25 July
Wednesday

Feast of St. James, Apostle

THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES SENSE



...perplexed but not driven to despair... – 2 Corinthians 4:8

I wanted to rip my chest open and throw away my heart. I wanted to scream, break things and pass out on the floor. My personal life had taken a downward and sad turn. I could not make heads or tails out of it, and the pain coursing through my veins at that time was so intense I couldn’t see or think straight. I was throwing a tantrum before God, on my knees and in tears. “I don’t understand, Lord. I don’t understand!” But God was silent. I wanted a rational explanation for what I was going through, but there was none.

I cried until I was spent and could no longerspeak. Finally, in the darkness and silence of my room, I felt the Lord. No lightning, no thunder, no long-drawn out speeches or explanations, just a gentle and comforting presence. In that sad corner, He sat with me, like a Father stroking His daughter’s hair with tears in His own eyes, His own heart bleeding over His child’s pain. God’s love was penetrating the most broken parts of me. It was enough assurance that in time, even if I did not know how or why, everything shattered in me would heal. It was enough solace to know that God’s love was bigger and stronger than all my hurts. Cotics C.

REFLECTION:

What things happening in your life don’t you understand? Lay them at the Lord’s feet.

Father, Your love is my comfort and light. Be my fortress and hope at all times.

_______________________

A WRONG NOTION CORRECTED



Today’s saint, St. James (sometimes referred to as St. James the Great, to distinguish him from his namesake and fellow apostle), is certainly one saint worth looking into. We praise and thank God for him, honoring and venerating him at the same time.

We all know him, of course, as one of the Twelve Apostles, and also one of the three “best friends” of Jesus — that is, His inner circle of apostles (together with Peter and John), who were often taken as privileged witnesses in special moments of Jesus’ life. St. James was also the first to die among the Twelve, martyred as he was by Herod in the year 43/44 (see Acts 12:2). He is especially honored since the ninth century at Compostella in Spain. In the meantime, the special Gospel passage for this feast is particularly interesting, for it gives an important insight to the character of James and his brother John. Jesus’ remark in answer to the request of James and John’s mother, short and direct as it is, nevertheless is very striking: “You do not know what you are asking.”

Certainly it was by no means a rejection by Jesus of their request. After all, elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus promised that they will sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel (see Luke 22:30 and Matthew 19:28). So in other words, it wasn’t so much the ambition of James and John which Jesus had in mind when he accused them of their lack of understanding, but rather their oversight (a case of “maling akala”). They overlooked the fact that the way to glory (at least according to Jesus’ teaching) is through the way of suffering. There are no shortcuts, in other words, to the glory of Easter Sunday.

We have a Tagalog popular saying: “Maraming namamatay sa maling akala” (Wrong notions can cost you your life). St. James died, certainly not for or because of his “maling akala” (he and his brother surely must have learned their lesson from the incident with Jesus). No, he died for his faith in God, boldly and bravely offering his life as a martyr, after the example of Jesus. Fr. Martin M.

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you know what it is you are asking?

When I seek to follow You, let it be in full knowledge of the cost.

St. Valentina & Thea, virgin martyrs, pray for us.
_______________________



1st READING

2 Corinthians 4:7-15

We have our days of strength and just as often, if not more often, we are also aware of our multitudes of weaknesses. This is perfectly fine as it fits into God’s plan of how we will best minister to others, in His strength and not just our own. The Pauline image of our being earthenware jars carrying the precious treasure of Christ to a broken and hurting world is a beautiful image that we should reflect upon often as it will encourage us in our weaknesses and sober us when we become too sure of our own strengths.

7 We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you. 13 Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we too believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us with you in his presence. 15 Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.

P S A L M

Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

R: Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.

1 When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion, we were like men dreaming. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing. (R) Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” 3 The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad indeed. (R) 4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the torrents in the southern desert. 5 Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing. (R) 6 Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, they shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves. (R)

GOSPEL

Matthew 20:20-28

We should never seek acclaim in the sight of men as it means nothing in terms of the Kingdom of God unless the acclaim first comes from our Father in Heaven! It is His glory that we seek and His alone, as any earthly glory is merely a distraction and source of temptation. Let us not be afraid to humble ourselves before God and one another as it is in humility that we will find protection from the sin of pride. It is also here that we will better be able to hear God’s word clearly directing us according to His will.

20 The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. 21 He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” 23 He replied, “My cup you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, [this] is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. 26 But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; 27 whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. 28 Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

my reflections

think: We should never seek acclaim in the sight of men as it means nothing in terms of the Kingdom of God.

________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________


God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Isaiah 37-38

 

[kerstinne25]

Dear Friends,
Never lose sight of Jesus this Thursday.

Praying for you,
KERSTINNE25

26 July
Thursday

Memorial of Sts. Joachim and Ann, parents of the Virgin Mary

IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY

…their wealth remains in their families. – Sirach 44:11

In recent years, the addiction gene was discovered.

Yes, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. If you are addicted to alcohol or drugs, you were already conditioned for this disease by a defective gene.

Before you start thinking that you can’t take responsibility for your addiction, let me say this: The addiction gene does not dictate your action. Awareness that addiction exists in your family line should keep you on your toes. It’s the same with the cancer gene, for example.

If it’s in your blood, you may not be able to stop it entirely, but you may be able to delay triggering it by making healthy food and lifestyle choices. In the case of addiction, you may save yourself by staying away from smoking, drinking and trying out drugs or sex or just about anything that you could use to escape from reality. In other words, you take responsibility for your actions.

Now, it’s not just badness that runs through our family lines. Goodness does too.

Do you want your family to be wealthy?

Be godly. Victoria L.

REFLECTION:

Where does your wealth lie?

Help me to keep to Your truths, Lord. You are my treasure.

_____________________

A DEBT OF GRATITUDE



Today’s readings are all specially chosen for today’s pair of saints, Joachim and Ann, the parents of Mary. The passage from the book of Sirach is a tribute to famous persons, a recognition which can certainly be applied to Joachim and Ann. The Responsorial Psalm speaks of the royal family line of Jesus, which certainly includes his grandparents. But all these seem to reach some sort of a strange and sorry anti-climax in the Gospel: Jesus’ own words hint that Joachim and Ann unfortunately did not witness in their lifetime the public ministry of their grandson Jesus.

Such perhaps is the irony — nay, the selflessness — of parents (for example) who do not always live long enough to see the achievements of their children and grandchildren, or even just of people who do not get to harvest the fruits of what they have sown or planted.

Jesus, instead, reminds His disciples of their fortune, because they are now the ones enjoying such fruits: “Blest are your eyes because they see and blest are your ears because they hear.” In a certain sense, we too are among these ones being reminded and blessed by Jesus.

But the lesson is obvious, of course. If it were not for those who have gone ahead of us, we simply wouldn’t be around. Or, to use another imagery, we now are able to see far ahead, because we stand on the shoulders of giants. That is also why looking back to recall and honor those who have gone ahead of us is always an expression too of our utang-na-loob and gratitude to them.

Sts. Joachim and Anne fulfilled their role as the parents of Mary; they certainly attained their purpose in the overall plan of salvation. And so (as today’s Entrance Antiphon in the Mass puts it), “Praised be Joachim and Ann for the child they bore.” Fr. Martin M.

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do we rejoice because though our eyes haven’t seen, our ears have heard?

For the example of those who have gone ahead of us, thank You.

Blessed John Ingram, martyr, pray for us.

_________________

1st READING

Sirach 44:1.10-15

I think that it is interesting to reflect that the people of the past who have the greatest influence upon the future are those men and women who practiced what they preached, that is, those who actively lived out the way of life that they espoused in their words and writings. The theoreticians, scientists, sociologists, philosophers and so on have come and gone and made their contribution and largely left behind a relatively small following. Yes, their ideas live on, but it is the idea and not the person we remember. With the saints it is the person and the idea we remember and continually call to mind as they were the embodiment of their ideas, inseparable from what they proclaimed and taught.

1 Now will I praise those godly men, our ancestors, each in his own time: 10 These were godly men whose virtues have not been forgotten; 11 their wealth remains in their families, their heritage with their descendants; 12 through God’s covenant with them their family endures, their posterity, for their sake. 13 And for all time their progeny will endure, their glory will never be blotted out; 14 their bodies are peacefully laid away, but their name lives on and on. 15 At gatherings their wisdom is retold, and the assembly proclaims their praise.

P S A L M

Psalm 132:11, 13-14, 17-18

R: God will give him the throne of David, his father.

11 The LORD swore to David a firm promise from which he will not withdraw “Your own offspring I will set upon your throne.” (R) 13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; he prefers her for his dwelling. 14 “Zion is my resting place forever; in her will I dwell, for I prefer her.” (R) 17 “In her will I make a horn to sprout forth for David; I will place a lamp for my anointed. 18 His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon him my crown shall shine.”

G O S P E L

Matthew 13:16-17

The people who met Jesus in the flesh were tremendously privileged. They have received a gift that none of us will receive until the resurrection from the dead and even then all flesh will have passed away. However, each of us has encountered Jesus in our own way and we are privileged to have received that gift. Let us not lose sight of the fact that Jesus makes himself available to us whenever we want to call upon him. Let us never forget that in prayer we come into His presence in a very real way to be taught and formed by Him in the ways of God.

16 “Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. 17 Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

my reflections

think: Let us not lose sight of the fact that Jesus makes himself available to us whenever we want to call upon him.

________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________


God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Isaiah 39-41

 

[kerstinne25]

Dear Friends,
See Him beside you this whole

Wednesday!

Praying for you,

Kerstinne25



8 August
Wednesday


WHEN DOGS PRAY

...even the dogs... – Matthew

15:27

Believe it or not, we can learn a

lot from dogs about prayer.

Take the woman in our story

today. She had a desperate

need. She had a case that no

one had been able to solve.

Jesus was the Only Specialist.

The disciples wanted to send her

away but she wouldn’t

budge. She knelt down

saying,“Lord help me.”

When dogs bite, they don’t

let go. Slip away and they sniff

their way to find you. They will

hound your life. Jesus knows that

the woman’s dog-like

stubborn faith will always find

Him. He doesn’t mind. He

wants to be found. Dogs are

humble. Dogs know “dog is

dog and master is master” and

not the other way around. Many

have approached Jesus and they

think they deserve all the good

and there’s something wrong

with God if things don’t go

their way. The woman knows she

doesn’t qualify. She can only

wait for the Master’s mercy.

More than the daughter’s

healing, a greater miracle

happened. The dog that prayed

with a desperate need, a

stubborn faith, and a humble

heart, turned into a Child of God.

Jon E.

REFLECTION:

Did you pray like a dog today?

Try it. It works!

Lord, teach us to pray. Turn my

arrogant posture to one that

needs grace. Amen.

_______________________


TODAY’S GIANT SIN

Many of the Israelites stand in

fear of moving forward and taking

the Promised Land because

there are so-called giants

inhabiting the land. This image is

too often reflected in our own

lives in the form of sin being the

giants that inhabit the land of our

hearts and minds where God

wants to establish His kingdom.

The question is: What are we

going to do about it?

Will we simply settle for doing

nothing because it is too hard to

dislodge the sin from our lives or

are we going to stand face to

face with the giants of sin and

defeat them with the cross of

Jesus?

There is nothing that can stand

against us if we choose to walk

with Jesus and the victory He

offers us through His cross and

resurrection. The difficulty that

too often arises is the one

whereby we fail to recognize that

we have God on our side in the

battle against sin – either we

fail to realize this or we insist on

doing things in our own strength.

This is complete and utter

foolishness. It is imperative that

we learn to swallow our pride and

embrace humility and thus learn

to walk in the victory of Jesus

over sin. It is a waste to let the

power of the cross lie unused by

the wayside of our lives and

condemn ourselves to perpetual

slavery to sin. You may think I

am going overboard here in my

description but the trouble is

everyone of us is falling for the

lies of Satan every time we sin

and there is no need for this to be

happening anymore! Sin has

been defeated by Jesus on the

cross – the only reason it

continues to have existence is

that we choose sin over the

victory of Jesus by listening to

Satan’s lies and allowing him

to influence our lives more than

we listen to God! It sounds

stupid, and it is stupid, but we do

it every day.

Now is the time for us to wake

from our sleep and awaken also

the sleeping giant of the truth of

the Gospel and implement it

more fully in our lives. Let us

decide to stand with and for

Jesus and leave sin behind to die

the death it deserves. Fr. Steve

T.

REFLECTION QUESTION: What

areas of my life do I need to more

actively place under the Lordship

of Jesus and the power of His

cross? How can I better do this

starting today?

Holy Spirit, help me to avoid

falling for the lies of Satan and

teach me how to form my mind

and heart in the truth of the

Gospel so that Satan will not be

able to find a way into my life

anymore.

Sts. Eleutherius and Leonides,

martyrs, pray for us.

___________________

1st READING

Numbers 13:1-2, 25—14:1, 26-

29, 34-35

There are two camps among the

Israelites. Some fear the

occupants of the land and are

afraid to engage them in battle.

Caleb wants to take the battle to

them and see the way that God

will ensure their victory over

them. Caleb loses the battle to

those who advise caution.

Subsequently the Lord punishes

the people with a forty year exile

in the desert for their lack of faith!

Let us pray that we will have the

courage to go when the Lord tells

us to go; to trust when He calls

us to trust and to do whatever He

wants whenever He calls us.

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2

“Send men to reconnoiter the

land of Canaan, which I am giving

to the Israelites. You shall send

one man from each ancestral

tribe, all of them princes.” 25

After reconnoitering the land for

forty days they returned, 26 met

Moses and Aaron and the whole

community of the Israelites in the

desert of Paran at Kadesh, made

a report to them all, and showed

them the fruit of the country. 27

They told Moses “We went

into the land to which you sent

us. It does indeed flow with milk

and honey, and here is its fruit.

28 However, the people who are

living in the land are fierce, and

the towns are fortified and very

strong. Besides, we saw

descendants of the Anakim

there. 29 Amalekites live in the

region of the Negeb; Hittites,

Jebusites and Amorites dwell in

the highlands, and Canaanites

along the seacoast and the

banks of the Jordan.” 30 Caleb,

however, to quiet the people

toward Moses, said, “We

ought to go up and seize the

land, for we can certainly do

so.” 31 But the men who had

gone up with him said, “We

cannot attack these people; they

are too strong for us.” 32 So

they spread discouraging reports

among the Israelites about the

land they had scouted, saying,

“The land that we explored is

a country that consumes its

inhabitants. And all the people

we saw there are huge men, 33

veritable giants [the Anakim were

a race of giants]; we felt like

mere grasshoppers, and so we

must have seemed to them.”

14: 1 At this, the whole

community broke out with loud

cries, and even in the night the

people wailed. 26 The LORD also

said to Moses and Aaron 27

“How long will this wicked

community grumble against me?

I have heard the grumblings of the

Israelites against me. 28 Tell

them by my life, says the LORD,

I will do to you just what I have

heard you say. 29 Here in the

desert shall your dead bodies fall.

34 Forty days you spent in

scouting the land; forty years

shall you suffer for your crimes

one year for each day. Thus you

will realize what it means

tooppose me. 35 I, the LORD,

have sworn to do this to all this

wicked communitythat conspired

against me here in the desert

they shall die to the last man.”

P S A L M

Psalm 106: 6-7, 13-14, 21-22, 23

R: Remember us, O Lord, as you

favor your people.

6 We have sinned, we and our

fathers; we have committed

crimes; we have done wrong. 7

Our fathers in Egypt considered

not your wonders. (R) 13 But

soon they forgot his works; they

waited not for his counsel. 14

They gave way to craving in the

desert and tempted God in the

wilderness. (R) 21 They forgot the

God who had saved them, who

had done great deeds in Egypt,

22 wondrous deeds in the land of

Ham, terrible things at the Red

Sea. (R) 23 Then he spoke of

exterminating them, but Moses,

his chosen one,withstood him in

the breach to turn back his

destructive wrath. (R)

G O S P E L

Matthew 15:21-28

Today is the Feast of St Dominic,

a man who sought to be faithful

to the Lord inteaching and

preaching the truth at a time

when many heresies were

present in the Church. His

untiring service of the Gospel has

inspired thousands of men to

follow him in the Dominican

order. Today we should pray for

them that they will remain faithful

to the spirit of their order and

continue to bring the Gospel to

the ends of the earth.

21 Then Jesus went from that

place and withdrew to the region

of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And

behold, a Canaanite woman of

that district came and called out,

“Have pity on me, Lord, Son

of David! My daughter is

tormented by a demon.” 23

But he did not say a word in

answer to her. His disciples

came and asked him, “Send

her away, for she keeps calling

out after us.” 24 He said in

reply, “I was sent only to the

lost sheep of the house of

Israel.” 25 But the woman

came and did him homage,

saying, “Lord, help me.” 26

He said in reply, “It is not

right to take the food of the

children and throw it to the

dogs.” 27 She said,

“Please, Lord, for even the

dogs eat the scraps that fall from

the table of their masters.” 28

Then Jesus said to her in reply,

“O woman, great is your faith!

Let it be done for you as you

wish.” And her daughter was

healed from that hour.

my reflections

think: Let us pray that we will

have the courage to go when the

Lord tells us to go; to trust when

He calls us to trust and to do

whatever He wants whenever He

calls us to do it.

___________________________

___________________________

___

___________________________

___________________________

___


God’s special verse/thought

for me today________________

___________________________

___________________________

___

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING

LIST

Thank You Lord for:

___________________________

_________

___________________________

___________________________

_

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Jeremiah 10-13